The bog trail is a must. It's such an interesting ecosystem. I loved the many colorful flowers we saw along the way. It's so well maintained with a boardwalk to keep you and the environment safe. We then walked the old logging trail. A wide trail with mostly trees to see. While it's the 'old' logging trail, it seemed a number of trees along the way were being cleared out. Perhaps the aftermath of last year's storm? Lots of campers in this park. It was quite busy. No issues with parking and we only ran into 3 people while hiking our 3.6 miles. read more

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Gorgeous in October, the leaves are spectacular!!. Great trails to walk and run on. The beach is Sandy and beautiful. A go to spot when in Bemidji! read more

We visited here on our first day here last weekend. Admission was free since it was Bird City day. Also, it was extra special since there was a raptor LIVE show at the amphitheater. There were 3 raptors which were showcased from a falcon, owl to hawk. My wife's favorite was the sowa owl which looked really miniature in size. Afterwards, we walked the bog trail and then drove to the marina boat launch. Overall, this was a great experience to see a ranger program as well as trail hike too:) read more

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Pretty park but it does pale in comparison to neighboring Itasca State Park. The camping sites are very cramped and lack in privacy found in many state parks. read more

Whereas Itasca State Park is hopping when it comes to the number of things to do and the overall excitement and energy, Lake Bemidji State Park is like its quiet, serene sister. Still beautiful, maybe less to do, but offers a quiet tranquility that Itasca just can't. Location: 4 out of 5 As the name would suggest, it's located close to Bemidji. From downtown Bemidji (ok, maybe where BSU is), it's about a 15 minute drive. Parking for the visitors center is in a dirt lot. Price: 3 out of 5 I think it's a going right of 5 bucks for a day pass for any of MN's State parks if you're not a resident. Spending 5 bucks to look around for a few moments and take a walk isn't going to break the bank, and if you make a half day of it by going into the water at the beach area, I imagine that it'd be time and money well spent. I would surmise that there would be a fee to launch your boat, and an additional fee if you choose to camp here. Selection of activities: 2 out of 5 If you aren't camping or boating, the options are somewhat limited. There's the visitors center with a little learning annex below, there's the beach that you can walk in/wade in, and there's a fair number of trails that you can take a hike on. They also have an outdoor amphitheater for demonstrations and group activities. Peacefulness index: 4 out of 5 This is where this particular park really shines. It was incredibly peaceful and quiet just to walk around for a bit. If I read more, I could definitely see myself plopping down by the water and just enjoying a few hours to myself. Overall: 3 out of 5 Worth a visit if you're in the area and want to get awhile for a little bit. The peacefulness factor is awesome, and if you've planned ahead, you can spend a very nice afternoon at this park. read more

Lake Bemidji State Park - Boating Near Me - Bemidji, Minnesota

It's a $5 service fee to drive through the park. From what I saw, it seems to be a great place to camp. They do have bathrooms so for those who are not keen on totally roughing it, this is good news. The bog is awesome! It was a great way to experience off the beaten path nature and hiking without actually going off the beaten path. Great place to take the dog for a walk. It's about 20 minutes total to and from the bog. read more

Lake Bemidji State Park - Boating Near Me - Bemidji, Minnesota

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We love MN State Parks because they usually have spacious sites, this one not so much!! Our site was OK but not much privacy. Other sites we were looking at were very small for tents and the water wasn't convenient. Camp Host was very friendly and a hard worker!! Will probably not come back again. read more

Nice park! Good for camping with young children as the beach, playground and biking and hiking trails are close to campground.

I agree with Andy C.'s take on the park except that he skipped my favorite feature of the park - The bog! It is very interesting and was very different than the other outdoor destinations in the area. It is worth the trip just to go to Bog Lake. read more

It is a nice park very near the city of Bemidji so if you forgot to pack something it's no big deal, there's a store 15 minutes away. Great friendly staff and the boardwalk through the Bog is very interesting. Waking to the sounds of loons on the lake is an added plus. The park should definitely do extensive planting of more trees throughout park and especially in the tent camping areas as you can see many campsites from yours. It's not an open field but there is significant need for additional trees for privacy, sound barriers and so you feel like you're actually camping in the woods in Northern Minnesota. More trees would also silence "road noise" from roadways. Should also have more of a buffer (and more trees) between tent sites and RV sites...hearing power generators really does take away from the camping experience or perhaps have hours when someone can operate a power generator (clearly the one I'm listening to at 4:00AM is rather vintage and loud AF). read more

Great State Park. This park is awesome with great hiking and biking. We hit this park multiple times a year for the walk to Bass Lake. It's also a great park for having a picnic with plenty of open space to feel like you're not crowded. It's obvious this park manager knows what they are doing. read more

Just wanted to highly recommend the "Bog Walk" a little stroll through an untouched Eco system. Very interesting plants and trees, not really seen any wear else in Minnesota at least. At the end of the walk you come to Big Bog Lake very relaxing. Great meditating spot, at least if I was alone. Worthwhile! read more

The campground is like a city of tents. There is no space between the camp sites. Your tent is within 10 feet of another tent and camp site. You have no privacy and cannot enjoy having a conversation around the camp fire for fear of disturbing the other campers. My family of four was having a quite conversation around the camp fire at about 10:10 Pm, when the park ranger shined his flashlight in our face and told us quite time was at 10PM. After being told it was bed time, we went into out tent, but could not sleep because we could hear all of the conversations coming from the other campers tents. That is how close the campsite are. The camping was not enjoyable, relaxing, or peaceful. The park itself is nice and would recommend it as a day trip but not recommend it for camping. read more